mixingbowl | Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through

Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through

[By the time Izuku and Minato are finally released from the emergency meeting with All Might and the Principal Nedzu, Izuku's feeling an odd mixture of relieved and drained. It's been a long day, with them arriving through the portal together, explaining things, and then having so many things arranged for Minato's stay. Still, everyone worked out in the end, and that Izuku can be grateful for.]

I thought that meeting would never end. [Izuku nudges Minato's shoulder, laughing softly as he does it.] But hey, now we have some funds and we can pick up some things you need from the shopping center! Excited?

[He hopes his friend is. It was a big decision to make, coming to Izuku's world from Chroma, and it's one that Izuku doesn't want him to regret.]

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[In all honesty? Minato's still a little stunned that they were so welcoming to begin with. They knew it was a risk, trying to step through that portal with Izuku with the excuse that he was from another world with nowhere to return to. But they welcomed him anyway, and Minato thinks he's starting to catch a glimmer of why Izuku respects All Might so much.

Either way... it warms his heart just a little, overwhelming as it, and when Izuku nudges him, Minato finally lets out a breath, shoulders slumping a little in relief.]

... Yeah, I think so. [He's excited, he's just also trying to process his emotions already.] I didn't realize they would be so... welcoming.

That's just how All Might is. [As usual, any mention of his mentor brings a smile to his face.] Principal Nedzu is... kind of scary sometimes, but he's reasonable about cases like this, too.

Either way, it looks like everything worked out in the end. [Izuku waves a hand, gesturing at all the buildings around them.] Welcome to U.A., Arisato-kun!

[This goes beyond reasonable, he thinks, but... it's fine. Izuku is so cheerful about it, and that eases something in Minato's chest too.]

... Thank you. Honestly... I don't think I can thank you enough for this.

[For welcoming him into his home, his life, just like this.]

[This time, Izuku stops in his tracks, looking over at Minato seriously.]

You don't have to thank me. It's...you know. Enough. That I get to see a good friend of mine here with me, when we weren't sure how all of this would work.

[But most of all, Izuku's grateful to have Minato here. Knowing what kind of fate waited for his friend back in his world, it would've wounded him to part with him once everything in Chroma had been taken care of.]

...thank you. For coming back here with me.

[Minato can't help but smile a little at that. Izuku is so serious about it, and that probably makes sense--it's a very Izuku sentiment. But still...]

No matter how I look at it, I should still be the one thanking you...

[He tilts his head a little, expression almost softly contemplative.]

After all... you saved me.

[Izuku's cheeks begin to redden and he looks away bashfully.]

That's...not true. You've already done so much in your world... it was only fair that you get a chance to be happy somewhere else.

[While it's true that Minato could have stayed in Chroma, what good would that do if no one else was staying behind?]

[Aw, Izuku... he's always so endearingly cute and sincere. That's another reason why Minato is pretty lucky right now, right?]

Mm, well... I'm still grateful. I did what I did accepting the outcome, so... I guess I never expected to be able to enjoy something like this again.

["Something like this", by which he means living a full life again, enjoying his time with someone else.

...Still, that's a grim topic that's not really necessary right now, so--]

Either way--what are we shopping for?

Arisato-kun... [His smile gentles as he looks back at Minato again. Though his friend seems so reluctant to accept the praise, Izuku thinks his selflessness is yet another thing to admire about him.

But... it is a sad topic, and they're supposed to be celebrating Minato's acceptance into the school! Izuku gives his cheeks a firm pat with his hands and then curls them into loose fists.]

We're going shopping for whatever you want! What's the first thing you can think of?

[... Oh. Up to him...? Whatever he wants?

Izuku is going to be treated to the rare but occasional look of Minato looking completely and totally blindsided, because that's...a new one to him.]

...Whatever I want?

[?????]

[Oh? Izuku notes the expression immediately, leaning in toward Minato curiously.]

Y-yeah, whatever you want! It's your dorm room, after all. The teachers let us decorate our rooms however we like. [He blushes, remembering just how things had turned out while the pocket worlds were active.] I...I mean, you've seen my room before...

[His All Might fanboy room...]

[Look.

Izuku's room might be embarrassing, but Minato's here to match him with his own sheepishness.]

I...

[... And, more softly, head ducked a little:]

I might need a little help with that. I've never decorated my room before. [He never had anything to decorate his room with, on those rare occasions when he did have a room. That Orphan Life, man.]

Wait--really? [Izuku's mouth drops open in his shock, and he even stops in his tracks to blink at Minato owlishly.]

But...what about your room back home? Or the place you had in Chroma?

[Sure, there had been...minimal choices when it came to decoration in that other world, but Izuku had always managed to find some things to slowly personalize it over the months they were there.]

[Well...]

Back home, I never really had a room that was very...permanent? So I never got into the habit of it.

That's why I never decorated my room in Chroma, either.

[He is a sad, depressing orphan, that's why.]

But... [There's so many questions he could ask about that, but in the end, Izuku just clicks his mouth shut and shakes his head.]

Never mind. It doesn't matter-- [His expression turns fierce even as he circles a hand around Minato's wrist.] This is going to be your home now, so if you haven't decorated your own room before, we'll just make sure you have that here.

... Okay.

[Minato won't mind the questions when they come; he knows Izuku has the right to ask them, and as far as he's concerned it's not something that he's upset over anymore.

It's just how things were.

But for now, he'll let it go too, smiling a little to himself at Izuku's fierceness.]

I'll be looking forward to your pointers, Midoriya-kun.

[Seeing a smile back on Minato's face at least makes him dial back some of that energy. And he laughs a little, imagining what his classmates would say about that.]

If you give me free reign, you're just gonna end up with a bunch of hero merchandise, too.

[At least he knows himself well enough to admit it.]

[He looks amused at that, shaking his head.]

Well... just pointers, then. I think I'd get a little overwhelmed to have that much hero memorabilia.

Probably. Everyone else has their favorite proheroes, but so far I'm the only one who's collected this much...[Suddenly, Izuku practically sparkles.] It's been a while since I've seen my figures and posters!

[Yes, it's kind of embarrassing when other people see his room, but he loves his All Might merch with his entire fanboy heart.

Bolstered by that realization, Izuku tugs Minato along toward the train station.]

C'mon, we'll make sure your room's just as personalized to your liking.

[Oh my god, Izuku... he's so sparkly and happy about this. It's a good thing that it makes him happy, for sure, but... probably more lowkey for Minato's room, yeah.]

Mm... okay.

[!!]

When you put it like that [really, it's more like when Izuku smiles like that--] it's hard not to be excited by the idea.

Don't hold yourself back! [As if Izuku would discourage Minato from being happy about something like this--it's simple, maybe, but you don't need anything flashy to find happiness sometimes.

It's a short walk to the station from the school, and Izuku slows to a stop as they wait for their train to arrive.]

We should try to brainstorm before we get to the shops. What kind of theme would you want to go with?

[Izuku is so fierce, but...that's also what Minato needs, probably.]

Mm... in that case, I'd like to theme it after music, if you think I can. It's... one of my favorite things, so it'd be good for my room, right?

[Give Izuku a mission like this and he'll just go full steam ahead. His friend's happiness is on the line here! (Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but making Minato comfortable and happy here is the most important thing at the moment.]

Of course! There's a bunch of musical symbols that I bet we could find. Then there's the music shops, where you could probably find some new bands to listen to. I wonder if I could ask Jirou-san for some recommendation for shops in this area. She's the expert here and it'd be faster to listen to what she has to say rather than searching for the shops on our own...

[Izuku rambles on and on, swiftly going through ideas. Though the muttering's probably normal to Minato by now, the people around them start to edge away in concern.]

[It's very familiar to Minato, in a way that's totally endearing to him; he reaches out to gently tug Izuku along by his arm.]

... Mm, sure, we can do all of that. But the person I want to go shopping with is you, Izuku-kun.

Ah.. [That snaps him out of his mumbling mode immediately, even bringing a slight flush to his cheeks.]

Sorry... I guess I got a little carried away. ["A little" being an understatement.] I just wanted to make sure that you like it here.

[He's cute..... honestly.]

I know--and I appreciate it. You don't have anything to apologize for.

[Izuku's passion and care for his friends is one of the things Minato admires about him, after all.]

But let's start small, okay? Because... I'm not worried about not liking it here at all.

[Izuku turns toward Minato, mouth falling open slightly in surprise. Then, that turns into a bright smile a moment later.]

Th-that's good to know. [Worrying is one of those things that Izuku can't help but get wrapped up in when his friends and family are involved, but this once, he can admit that maybe it was unnecessary. Minato seems to be taking this whole thing a lot better than Izuku would've hoped, and Izuku's reminded of his gentle, warm nature to boot.

Thankfully, the train pulls up just then, sparing Izuku from his growing fluster.]

[Minato is a little worried his implications--that it's thanks to Izuku that he's not worried about being here--went right over Izuku's head...

But that's fine.

He'll help get it to sink in a bit later.

Onto the train with them!]

It's going to be really fun to live in the same place, you know? Just...really different from before.

[Where they were across town.]

Yeah. It'll be nice, just being in the room right next to yours.

[Izuku beams at him, then his smile grows thoughtful again, even though he keeps his voice soft, to avoid being overheard easily.]

And it's different here... you can use your power freely to help people.

[Minato just shakes his head quietly at that, hands shoved into his pockets.]

It's... going to be weird, honestly. Adjusting to that, when I've had to keep it a secret for so long.

I'm excited though.

[He confirms that with a firm nod.]

I want to help people as much as I can.

[Here, Minato, have a friendly little bump to the shoulder. Izuku stays there, shoulder pressed to Minato's, even as he smiles even more softly.]

I'm glad you don't. I know you didn't do it for fame or anything back home, but I don't think it's so bad that people outside of your friends will get to see how amazing you are.

[Besides, Izuku knows how much secrets can weigh you down. At least back home, Minato still had his friends to talk to about this.]

[Ah... that bright smile, that warmth...

Minato smiles a little to himself, and dips his head, a warm, almost tentative contentedness in his expression.]

You're exaggerating.... but thank you.

Honestly...? I can't wait to see how you guys do things here. As heroes.

Most days we're just students. [Izuku curls a hand around the pole next to him, grinning.] We go to class, eat lunch, and at the end of the day we go back to our dorms and do our homework.

Some of us had internships for a while, but... [He bites his lip, smile dimming, like a cloud obscuring the sun's warmth.] There was some trouble--they've cancelled them for now.

... Huh.

[He's sure there's a story there, but for now? He'll leave it alone.]

It'll be nice to have classes again. It's weird, but... you really never realize what you'll miss until it's gone, you know?

[A wise decision, since Izuku technically isn't allowed to talk about them. He'd make an exception for Minato, though, after all they've been through together.]

It's not weird to me! [In his usual rush to give reassurance, Izuku nearly bumps his head into the pole as he leans in.] I've missed having classes, too. There's...some things about Chroma that I liked, but the lack of classes was something I missed about home. Ah--they're gonna be different from what you're used to, though!

[The grin returns, filled to brim with enthusiasm at his new realization.] The hero foundations classes are a lot of fun, Minato-kun! You'll get to practice your powe---I mean, quirk! You'll practice your quirk with the rest of us.

[Seeing Izuku's earnest joy and excitement is honestly nice... it makes Minato smile as well, head dipping a little.]

I will... it's going to be interesting.

[A beat, and with a bit more concern:]

My Personas won't bother people, will they?

I don't think so. [From the way he straightens, and brings his hand up to cup his chin for a moment, Izuku's already heading straight into his analysis mode. It probably isn't a surprise when he begins to mutter to himself.]

The personas are a little unusual, that's true, but now that you can summon them without the use of the fake gun, there must be some way that we can explain them without drawing too much suspicion. Then again, there are so many quirks, with some becoming more and more flashy every year, that I'm certain no one would blink if we passed it off as some kind of projection quirk....

[... Huh...

Minato tilts his head, contemplating that with a hand at his chin as well. But Izuku sounds so certain...]

... Well, you do know best. I'll trust in that, then.

[Thumbs up.]

I'm ready to do my best. It's really kind of a miracle they let me into UA, to be honest... I don't want to squander it.

[Whoops, he definitely got caught up in his thoughts again. Izuku laughs, tapping his fingers together bashfully.] I'll check the forums when you debut, too. There's a whole section dedicated to quirk analysis! If those people don't notice anything, then we're definitely in the clear.

Ah, it really did work out perfectly with the timing. [He pauses, considering how there had been a spot in their class open just when he and Minato needed it. Then, he beams. It's really too bad about Mineta, but...] Maybe it's just a sign that you're supposed to be here!

[... Oh man. He hadn't even thought about it, but--]

... People are going to be watching us pretty closely here, huh...?

I didn't realize you guys were under so much pressure here at school... It feels strange to think people will be keeping an eye on us.

It makes sense, though, doesn't it? [For his part, Izuku doesn't look too nervous about it, though he might've been once. The attention's something he's gotten used to, especially after their first sports festival.]

Considering the alumni our school's known for, people tend to think of us as the next generation of pro-heroes. If they keep an eye on us now, they'll already be familiar with us by the time we graduate and join the pro ranks! People here really like staying in the know with these things, especially with things like business and sponsorships to think about, too.

[Izuku doesn't have to say that he used to be one of those people, before UA. Though he still does keep an eye on the other students!]

Ah...does it bother you, Minato-kun? The attention.

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Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through

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